Single knob price setting mechanism



y 1945- c. s. HAZARD- ET AL 2,375,787

SINGLE KNQB PRICE SETTING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 6, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet lINVENTORS Llzarks J1 Hazard Hairy f'qaer 4/ 1 MM AT ORNEYS May 1945- Ic. s. HAZARD ET AL ,375,787

SINGLE KNOB PRICE SETTING MECHANISM 'Filed Oct. 6, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2Iii! WIEHIW RNEYS INVENTQRS q (harks 6. [Jazard SS HurqZSa Mr May 15,1945.

c. s. HAZARD ET AL 2,375,787

SINGLE KNOB PRICE SETTING MECHANISM 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 6, 1959May 1945- c. s. HAZARD ET AL 2,375,787

SINGLE KNOB PRICE SETTiNG MECHANISM Filed Odt. 6, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTO RS diaries .Sij/azard 'l mrq F5014 mws May 15, 1 945- c. s.HAZARD ETAL SINGLE KNOB PRI CE SETTING MECHANISM Filed Oct. 6, 1959 5Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS tlzarles'S. Hazard fimrq F5011 4 ORNEYS V ter land a price setting mechanism i2.

Patented May-l5, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,318,137 SINGLE KNOBrarer: SETTING MECHANISM Charles S. Hazard, Andover, and Henry F. Boner,East Orange, N. J., asslgnors to Neptune Meter Company, a' corporationof New Jersey Application October .6, 1939, Serial No. 298,176

4 Claims. This invention relates to price setting mechanism forregisters, such for example, as are used in computing devices forindicating the amount. cost and price of the material being registered.I

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved; accurateand compact price setting mechanism having a single manually actuatable'member for changing the setting thereof.

Other objects and features of the invention -ment whereby the gear ratioselecting devices and corresponding indicating elements are selectivelyactuatable by operation of a single manually actuatable member. s

Additional objects and features-of the inven-' tion will become apparentupon consideration of the following detailed description and theappended claims when read in connection with theaccompanying drawings,in which:

Figure l is a view in vertical elevation of a computing device with apart of the casing broken away to show thedetails of the price settingmechanism and the driving connection therefrom to the registeringmechanism;

Figure 2 is a view in vertical elevation of the iefthand side of Figure1 with parts broken away to show certain details mechanism;

Figure 3 is a,fragmentary plan view of the price setting mechanismshowing the connecting arrangement between the manually actuatablemember and the rack means of the gear ratio selecting devices and theprice indicating ,ele-' ments;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1 showingdetails of the gear ratio selecting mechanism;

' Figure 5 is a sectional view taken approximately along line 55 ofFigure 2 showing the detailed construction of the manually actuatablemember and the associated mechanism;

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 8-6 of Figure 2 showingthe driving connections of a bank of price indicating elements; and

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along line 1-1 of Figure 3 showingthedriving connection to the cost indicating counters of the register.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings, a computing device. isillustrated comprising a regis- The of the price setting register is ofthe type provided with sets of counters i4 and is for the front and backsides of the register to indicate the amount and cost, respectively, ofthe material being registered. The price setting mechanism with whichthe register is associated is provided with banks of indicating elementsl8 and i9 (Fig. 3) disposed at the trout and back sides of the pricesetting mechanism for view with the counters of the register. The

computing device is thus arranged to indicate the amount, cost and priceof the material being registered from two opposedsides of the computingdevice.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the driving connection tothe price setting or variator mechanism comprises a coupling 20depending on a stud shaft 22 appropriately mounted in the lower portionof the frame 24, the coupling. 20 being connectable to a meter orothersource of power. The stud shaft 22 is connected to a shaft 26 byappropriate gearing indicated generally at 28. The shaft 28 extendsupwardly through the frame .24 to transmit movement to stepped cones.

the bevel gears 30 and 32 to drive the numeral wheels of the amount orvolume register M in accordance with the movement of the meter or othersource of power The gearing oi. the variator mechanism is driven fromthe gearing 28 by a gear 34 (Figs. 1 and 4).

The driving gears of the variator mechanism comprise two sets of gears35 and 35 of difl'erent diameter arranged in the general shape of Thegears of each set are secured togetherfor rotation as a unit upon shafts38 and 40, respectively. are supported in substantially parallelrelation by frame members 42 and 44. The 'gear units35 and 36 areinterconnected forsimultaneous movement by a gear train comprising gears45,

46 and 41, gear 46 being an idler gear while gears 45 and 41 aredirectly connected to the units 35 and 36, respectively. The gear 34.drives the gear units 36 and 36 bymeshing with the teeth of a crown gear48 carried at the base of the coneshaped unit 36.

Cooperating with the gear units 35 and 36 and loosely mounted on hollowshafts SL 52 and 53 are three sets of gears BI, 62 and 63. The gears 6iassociated with the shaft 5| are in constant mesh with gears of the unit35 and provide therewith gear ratios in the order of predeterminedfractions of a unit. The gears 62 associated with the shaft 52- are inconstant mesh with the gears of cone 36 and provide gear ratios in theorder of units from one to nine. The gears Glasse ciated with the shaft53 are in constant mesh with certain gears of the unit 36 for thepurpose The shafts 38 and 40 ample to currencies of other denominationssuch as the British pence, shilling and pound. It is to be understood,therefore, that the variator mechanism-of this invention contemplatesany desired order of gear ratio selections, the order of fractions.units and tens being by way of illustration only.

In order to vary the gear ratio of the variator mechanism, the shafts 52and 53 ar each provided with a key 54 for selectively connecting to therespective shaft any one of the loose gears associated therewith. Eachkey 64, as illustrated in connection with shaft 5| (Fig. 4), ispivotally mounted within the hollow shaft at 56. A spring 58 urges thekey in a direction to cking1y c0n nect the loosely mounted gears to theshaft as the shaft is shifted axially, the loosely mounted gears beingmaintained in axial position by spacer elements 10, and a sleeveII. Eachof the gears BI is provided with internal recesses 12 for coop- 'erationwith the key 54. The spacers 10 are provided with beveled edges 14adjacent the inner edges of adjacent gears whereby the key 54 is adaptedto disengage and reengage adjacent gears by axial movement of the shaft5|. By this structural arrangement the shafts 5|, 52 and 53 are adaptedby axial movement to be selectively connected with appropriate gearratios in the order of fractions, units and tens, respectively; thusproviding a computing ratio correspond n to the desired pricedisplayed'by the indicators I8 and I9.

For the purpose of integrating the movements of the shafts 5|, 52 and53, a differential gearing 151s shown mounted on shaft 40. The movementof shaft 5| is transmitted to the differential gearing through gears l9,I1, 18 and I9; gears 11 and I8 acting as idler gears while gear 16 isslidably keyed to the shaft 5|. The movements of shafts 52 and 53 aretransmitted to the appropriate gears of the differential gearing byslidably keyed ears 80 and 8|, respectively.

selectively moving the shaft 5| to change the connection between shaft5| and the gears loosely associated therewith. The movement of thesleeve 94 is controlled by rack teeth I00 on the lower side of thesleeve which mesh with pinion driven from a pinion equipped shaft I08(Fig. 5)

rotatably supported by frame members I01 and I08. The rack teeth I 00 ofthe sleeve 94 are in constant mesh with a pinion 0 carried by a sleeveII2 which is keyed to the shaft I05. Also carried by the sleeve 2 is asecond pinion 4 which is adapted to be engagedand driven by actuation ofthe member 90 which includes a shaft 5 carrying pinions |2|, I22 andI23. The shaft H5 is mounted for axial androtary movement in the framemembers I01 and I08, the shaft I being provided with annular grooves 6for engagement by a spring biased detent H8 to resiliently hold theshaft in axially shifted posi. tions.

When it is desirable to change the fract ons selector device, the shaft5 is shifted axially until the pinion |2| engages the pinion I I4. Aturning movement of the member 90 will then be transmitted throughpinions I 2|, I I4, sleeve 2 and pinion 0 to the rack teeth I00 ofsleeve 94. Movement of the sleeve 94 causes the hollow shaft 5| to moveaxially enabling the key 54 to' disengage one and engage another of theplu- Referring to Figures 2, 4 and 7 of the drawings. I

the driving connection between the differential gearing and the costregister is as follows: The transmitting gear 82 of the differentialgearing 15 drives through an idler gear 83, a gear unit 84 which isprovided with beveled teeth 85 adapted to mesh with a bevel gear 86carried by a vertical shaft 81. The shaft 81 extends upwardly of thevariator mechan sm and carries a bevel gear 88 which meshes with bevelgear 89. .An appropriate gearing is operatively connected with the gear89 within the housing of the register It for driving the numeral wheelsof the cost reg ster Hi.

The axial movements of the shiftable shafts 5|, 52 and 53 areselectively controlled from a single manually actuatable member 90. Themember 90 is adapted for push-pull adjustment for selective engagementby means of a pinion and rack arrangement, whereby e ther shaft 5|. 52or 53 is moved axially by rotation of the member 90. To transmit themovement of the manually actuatable member 90 to the shafts 5|. 52 and53, three shafts 9|. 92 and 93,,upon which sleeves 94, 95 and 95 areslidably mounted. are appropriately supported in the frame members 42and 44. Since each sleeve is similarly constructed andoperativelyconnected to one of the shafts 5|, 52 and 53. the sleeve -94only will be described in detail.

The sleeve 94, as shown in Figure 2. is provided with an arm 98 which iscoupled to the hollow shaft 5|. The sleeve 94 is'adapted to be shiftedaxially on the shaft 9| for the purpose of rality of gears 6|. Theselective movements of the units and tens selector devices are similarlycontrolled from the member 90. For example, when it is desired to varythe setting of the units selector device, the shaft 5 is shifted to aposition disengaging the fractions gear trainv and bringing pinion I22into meshing engagement with a pinion I24 carried by a sleeve 25 uponwhich a rack engaging pin on I26 is mounted.

,Thus, byrotating the shaft 5 dur ng the engagement of pinions I22 andI24,- the sleeve 95 which controls the shaft 52 is actuated. Likewise.

the pinion I23 may be brought into engagement with a pinion I28 whichmeshes with the rack teeth of sleeve 96. It will thus be readilyapparent, that a shifting movement of the shaft I I5 provides for theselectivecontrol of the several gear ratios selecting devices to whichthe sleeves 94, 95 and 95 are connected.

The price indicators I8 and I9 comprise banks of numeral wheels |3|, I32and I33 and I9Ia. I920 and I33a, respectively, for indicating thesetting of the variator mechanism in the order of fractions, units andtens. Each indicator is similarly constructed, and for detailedillustration reference is had to Figure 6, which shows the left-handbank of indicators 9 of Figure 2 in section. The numeral wheels I3Ia,|82a and I 89a are supported on a shaft |35a rotatably mounted on armsI36 and I31 extending laterally from the frame member 44. The fractionsnumeral wheel |3|a and units numeral wheel |82a are rotatably mounted onthe shaft |35a and provided with pinion I40a and |4|a which are inmeshing engagement with rack members I42 and I43, respectively (Fig. 3).The tens numeral wheel I33a is keyed to the shaft 135a at I44, a pinionI45a being keyed to the shaft for the purpose of driving the tensnumeral wheel from a rack I45. Each numeral wheel driving pinion isprovided with side discs I41 and I48 to maintain the associated rack inmeshing engagement with the respective pinion.

The numeral wheels I3I, I32 and I33 of the indicator I8 at theright-hand side of Figures 2 and 3 are, of course, reversed with respectto the corresponding wheels of indicator I9. The tens wheel I33, asinthe case of the tens wheel I33a,

is secured to the shafts 35 through which it is driven from the pinionI45.

The rack arrangement for driving the numeral wheels of the priceindicators I0 and I9 is best illustrated in Figures 3 and 5. To drivethe fractions numeral wheels I3I and I3Ia, the sleeve H2 is providedwith teeth I49 which mesh with the teeth of the rack I42, a secondpinion sleeve I50 being keyed to the shaft I06 to transmit movementsimultaneously with sleeve II2 to the rack I52. The racks I42 and I52are in constant mesh with pinions "0a and I40. respectively, to drivethe fractions numeral wheels. The sleeves I and I are likewise providedwith teeth for meshing engagement with the racks I43 and I46,respectively, which in turn mesh with the pinions I, la and I45, H511 todrive the corresponding numeral wheels I32, I32a and I33, I33a. It willthus be apparent that any adjustment of the gear ratio selector deviceswill'produce a corresponding change in the position and, therefore, theprice indications of the numeral wheels of indicators I8 and I9.

The operation in changing the variator mechanism from one setting toanother is carried out by actuation of thesingle manually actuablemember 90. For a change in the fractions gear ratio, the shaft H5 isshifted axially until the sear I2I is meshed with gear H4. The member 90is ,thenrotated in the desired direction to either reduce or increasethe fractions indications viewable .on the fractions numeral wheels I3|, I3 la. The movement of the numeral wheels I3| and I3Ia indicates acorresponding movement or change in the position of the shaft 5| wherebykey 64 connects the desired gear to the shaft 5|. A change in the unitsor tens gear ratio is carried out in .the same manner; that is. theshaft 5 is shifted to cause the proper pinion engagement wherebv thedesired change is effected by rotation of the member 90. 'The detentsI02 resiliently hold the shafts 5|, 52 and 53 in the desired position sothat the keys of those respective shafts are prevented from coming torest between adjacent ears. the keys being forced into engagement witheither one or the other of adjacent gears.

, While the invention has been illustrated and described in the form ofa price setting mechanism for use in computing devices. it is recognizedthat the invention may be applied in a variable speed device notinvolvin price or cost that the expression "price setting mechanism. asused in the .appended claims. is to be regarded as covering variablespeed mechanism. enerally.

stood that the present embodiment is to be regard'ed as illustrative ofthe invention and not in restriction thereof.

We claim:

1. In a machine of the class described driving means including aplurality of gears of different diameter, a plurality of shafts, a setof gears rotatably-mounted on each of said shafts, the gears of, eachset being in constant mesh with gears of said driving means to providegear ratios of higher and lower order, means operatively associated withsaid shafts to intergrate the movement thereof to provide a drivingmovement in accordance with a gear ratio setting, a means associatedwith each shaft for selectively establishing driving connection betweensuch shaft and one of the gears associated therewith, a memberactuatable to select any one of the connection establishing means, andsaid member being furtheractuatable to thereby move the selectedconnection establishing means into connection with a particular 5 gearon the shaft with which the selected connection establishing means isassociated.

2. In a machine of the class described, driving means including aplurality of gearsof difierent diameters, a plurality of shafts, meansoperative- 1y associated with said shafts to integrate the movementsthereof to provide a driving movement in accordance with a selected gearratio setting, gear means associated with each of said shafts, saidshafts being shiftable to positions for establishing connections throughsaid gear selected adjusting means to thereby shift the shaft associatedtherewith whereby the shafts: can be selectively moved to vary theconnections between the shafts and said plurality of gears.

3. In a machine of the class described, driving means including aplurality of gears of different diameter, a plurality of shafts, meansoperatively associated with said shafts to integrate the movementsthereof to provide a driving movement in accordance with a settingthereof, gear means associated with each of said shafts, said shaftsbeing reciprocatable to positions for establishing connections throughsaid gear means between each respective shaft and a selected one of saidplurality of gears, fixed shafts arranged adjacent said movable shafts,a sleeve provided with rack teeth mounted for axial movement on eachof'the fixed shafts, means operatively connecting each sleeve to one ofsaid movable shafts, and means shiftable to selectively engage one ofsaid racks and rotatable to actuate the rack and thereby shift axiallythe reciprocatable shaft associated therewith.

4. In a machine of the class described, a plurality of change speeddevices, each of said decharacteristics. It is therefore to beunderstood vices having adjustable means for adjusting the ratio of suchdevice, each of said adjustable means having a rack, a member havingpinion means. said member being actuatable to cause said pinion means toselectively establish a driving connection with any desired one of theracks. and said member being rotatable to operate the selected rack totherebyset a desired speed ratio on the device associated with theselected rack.

CHARLES S. HAZARD. HENRY F. SOPER.

